Woodfield School

WOODFIELD SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 th July – 9 th July 2003

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WOODFIELD SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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WOODFIELD SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Woodfield School 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Malmes Croft Leverstock Green Hemel Hempstead Herts

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr. David Ross

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 22/06/1998 Woodfield School 4

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Team members

20906 Ian Naylor Registered inspector 9931 M. Kerry Lay inspector 3055 C. Tombs Team inspector 10668 D. Walker Team inspector

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Team members

‘Ibsley’ 4 West Cliff Road Dawlish Devon EX7 9EB

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Woodfield School 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Woodfield is a Community Special School for up to 72 boys and girls aged three to19 with severe learning difficulties. There are currently 60 pupils on roll, ten of whom are from minority ethnic backgrounds with several of these not having English as their main language. Attainment on entry is very low. There are 17 pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Autistic Resource Base provision. A few pupils have extremely challenging behaviour. All pupils are integrated into classes. The school has recently achieved re-accreditation as Investors In People. There is currently a capital building programme to improve and extend aspects of accommodation .

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Woodfield is a very well led and effective school. The high quality of teaching ensures pupils achieve very well. The school gives very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Outstanding leadership gives a very clear focus to school organisation and management which helps to promote high standards in all aspects of teaching and provides a vibrant learning environment. • Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships and this has a positive impact on the progress that they make which is very good. • There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the learning and overall personal development of all pupils. There is very good measurement and recording of pupils’ achievement.

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What could be improved

• There are no major issues for the school to address. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the appropriate authority.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

There has been very good improvement since the last inspection in June 1998. The senior management team has been strengthened by the appointment of two deputy headteachers each with distinct responsibilities. The role of subject coordinators has been clarified and time allocated within the school timetable for them to carry out their responsibilities. Planning of the curriculum is much better and therefore supports a wider range of learning opportunities. There has been a very significant improvement in the curriculum, teaching and resources for information and communication technology. Governors have identified and implemented ways to evaluate school performance and they have introduced an effective organisational structure. There have been many improvements made to facilities and accommodation and more are currently under construction. Woodfield School 7

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STANDARDS

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets.

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STANDARDS

mathematics B B unsatisfactory D personal, social and health education A A poor E other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* A A *IEPs are individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs

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STANDARDS

Pupils make very good progress overall. By the time they leave school they have the skills they need to make a successful transition to the next phase of education or training. There is very good progress in English and pupils make particularly good progress in their communication skills, including those pupils whose first language is not English. Pupils with autism are successfully taught with pupils of their own age. Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties steadily improve in their general level of communication skills. All pupils gain in confidence and develop significantly their personal and social skills. A high number of pupils work successfully alongside pupils or students in mainstream schools and colleges for significant parts of their learning. Most pupils at Years 6 and 9 meet whole school targets for progress, as measured using the P-Levels or National Curriculum levels where these apply.

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STANDARDS

Pupils make very good progress in information and communication technology (ICT) and good progress in mathematics and science.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent. Pupils are happy and relaxed in lessons, work hard and are always willing to learn.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils respond very well in all activities. They co- operate fully with adults and show consideration to one another. However, there has been arise in the number of temporary exclusions amongst a small number of pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent. Pupils are very well prepared for the transition to college. Relationships with staff and between pupils are exceptional. Regardless of age pupils respond very positively to staff encouragement to take responsibility for routine tasks.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. Pupils show real delight at coming to school. Woodfield School 8 Pupils and students respond particularly well when out and about on placements in school, colleges and other places in the local community and have a reputation for being very well behaved, well mannered, respected and valued members of the local community.

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Quality of teaching Good Very good Very good Very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching is very good in English, particularly in the use of alternative communication systems and ICT to support pupils’ communication skills and learning. It is also very good in personal, social and health education. Teaching is good in mathematics and science. Teachers’ preparation, planning, use of resources, delegation and team work is of an exceptional quality and makes most effective provision for the needs and abilities of all pupils. Teaching assistants are highly skilled and make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning. Teachers make effective use of individual education plans to set suitable targets for pupils. All staff are well informed about the learning and welfare needs of pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. Pupils are provided with a wide range of relevant and high quality opportunities. The curriculum is skilfully adapted to meet the individual needs of all the pupils. There is an appropriate emphasis on developing skills in communication, through the use of signing, symbols and pictures, and on personal and social education, numeracy, and information communication technology.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. Very effective arrangements are made to support pupils’ communication skills. Suitable staffing is provided.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. Lessons and school assemblies are used effectively to encourage pupils to reflect on issues, ideas and values. Teachers reinforce moral and social values in and out of lessons. There is a strong school commitment to provision of multi- cultural and multi-faith opportunities through trips to places of interest locally. Visitors of different faiths and nationalities effectively extend pupils’ experiences.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. There are effective procedures for child protection and pupil welfare. These include detailed risk assessments for all activities and pupils. The assessment and monitoring of pupils’ academic progress is very good. Behaviour management is of a high quality. Woodfield School 9 Integration opportunities for pupils with their equivalent age group in mainstream schools and colleges are very well planned and implemented.. The school liaises well with other professionals and this allows, for example, the establishment of regular medical clinics at the school. The school also provides opportunities for staff and parents to interact to provide additional support for pupils, for example, parent workshops. The very good systems for welfare and behaviour management help staff to manage successfully pupils who have extremely challenging and violent behaviour.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher continues to give exceptional leadership and is very ably supported by the deputy headteachers and other senior staff. All staff work very effectively as a team. Roles and responsibilities are very well defined.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Very good. Governors are well informed, well organised and have suitable procedures and structures. They have developed a range of opportunities to monitor and evaluate the curriculum and pupils’ achievements through working closely with the headteacher and staff.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school is very aware of its strengths and takes speedy steps to address any weaknesses. The school development plan is a working document that prioritises action points well. Staff and governors are consulted and involved in its construction and implementation. The strategic use of resources Very good. Financial procedures and administration are of very good quality. The school administrative officer is very efficient. The school is very careful in its spending and recent improvements in resources, accommodation and staffing have all helped to promote pupil’s progress.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher and governors take every opportunity to challenge school practice, compare with other similar schools and learn from the experience. They provide many opportunities for consultation with staff, pupils, parents and visiting professionals. There is currently a difficulty in the retention and recruitment of staff, as experienced by other similar local schools. This places a heavy teaching burden on senior staff, but they have shown great depth of expertise in managing this situation so that short term effects on pupils’ teaching and learning are minimised.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Staff make very good contacts with parents and provide all the information they need. • More clarity about homework. Woodfield School 10 • Home-school books work extremely well. • The involvement of other professionals. • Teaching is good and challenges pupils. • The headteacher sets high standards for pupils and staff. • The general ethos of the school is ‘brilliant’. • After school clubs. Parents and carers hold the school in high regard and they expressed very favourable views at a meeting with the registered inspector and through the questionnaires. The school’s links with its parents are very good as is the information that the school provides for them.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with the many positive views of parents. The school could do more to explain their expectations around homework. Woodfield School 11

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Outstanding leadership gives a very clear focus to school organisation and

management helps to promote high standards in all aspects of teaching and learning.

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Outstanding leadership gives a very clear focus to school organisation and

1. The qualities of leadership displayed by the headteacher are exceptional. They have helped to sustain and improve upon the good quality of teaching and of school management that were evident at the last inspection. The headteacher leads by example and sets clear expectations for her staff. High standards are expected for all aspects of teaching, school administration and management. Procedures, policies and systems have been introduced to raise teachers’ performance and to enable staff to take a critical look at how they can improve their skills. As a result there has been marked improvement in the quality of teaching and learning. There has been improvement in the delegation of management responsibilities to senior staff. This has helped to raise the profile and management of these areas and has led to a greater range of opportunities for pupils. Subject coordinators have been given time to carry out their roles and this has meant that subject policies, curriculum planning

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Outstanding leadership gives a very clear focus to school organisation and

and teaching have improved in quality and become more consistent across the school. 2. There is regular consultation by senior managers with staff, governors, parents and pupils. In this way decisions about the future direction of the school are well informed and represent a wider view. The school development plan (SDP) is carefully prioritised to address weaker areas of performance and to introduce new initiatives. In-service training and continuous professional development opportunities are carefully planned by the deputy headteacher, and linked directly to priorities in the SDP and this has helped to improve standards in teaching and learning. 3. The improvements since the previous inspection have not just been confined to teaching and the curriculum. The headteacher has successfully steered the school through a period of growth in terms of facilities, accommodation and resources. There have been numerous building adaptations to secure more space for teaching.

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Outstanding leadership gives a very clear focus to school organisation and

As a result, teaching and learning have been far better supported. There is currently a large scale capital building programme to provide more classrooms. The headteacher has shown vision and determination in securing these improvements and has been instrumental in overseeing their completion. 4. Two illustrations of how even minor development have helped to create a lively, stimulating and welcoming learning environment for pupils are to be seen in the facilities of the school library and in the school gardens. Resources in the library are excellent and there is a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books, sensory books, videotapes, audiotapes, and computer programs to suit all ages and abilities of pupils. There is also a good collection of teaching materials to promote pupils’ reading, for use by staff. The gardens include superb displays of plants, shrubs, trees and water features at the front of school and in other parts and these give to the school a visually

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Outstanding leadership gives a very clear focus to school organisation and

attractive feel. These and other features such as the woodland ‘dell’ also provide wildlife areas and tactile and sensory areas that stimulate pupils’ imaginations. They are a great resource to pupils for their personal, social and health education and practical science lessons. In addition they also provide good opportunities for work experience activities. 5. The governors, by their support and awareness have made a vital contribution to the leadership and direction of the school. They have taken the necessary action to Woodfield School 12 improve weaker areas identified by the last inspection report. For example, there are now two sub-committees with suitable terms of reference to undertake important work on finance, personnel, curriculum and premises. Governors keep themselves well informed about the work of the school. They have greatly enhanced their knowledge of what actually happens in the classrooms by a pattern of regular visits

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Outstanding leadership gives a very clear focus to school organisation and

and by reporting their views back to other governors and the headteacher. This has helped them to make accurate strategic decisions to bring about improvements to the school.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

and this has a positive impact on the progress that they make which is very good. 6. Teaching is very good and successfully encourages pupils to develop excellent attitudes and relationships. This improves their learning and as a consequence pupils make very good overall progress, particularly in their communication and social skills. This is because teachers follow clear school guidelines and procedures and are very thorough in their planning and preparation to meet individual pupil needs. 7. Teachers have excellent knowledge and information about pupils’ specific needs that is marshalled to great effect to individualise programmes and to set relevant and challenging learning targets for pupils. This is a feature throughout the school and stems from the clear direction given by the headteacher and senior staff. Consequently, every pupil receives appropriate amounts of consideration and attention. This helps staff to build strong relationships with pupils.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

8. The features outlined above, are seen in an excellent English lesson for pupils in Years 5 and 6, where pupils’ progress in communication skills, reading and writing is very good. Staff provide virtually one to one support for pupils’ phonic work and handwriting skills. Higher attaining pupils listen well to staff instructions and complete word recognition exercises. Lower attaining pupils trace letter shapes in sand, or use tactile letters to learn initial letter sounds. Staff extend pupils’ learning by presenting a range of well organised and varied activities that keep pupils engaged and challenged. These activities include the use of electronic aids such as ‘chat box’ and photographs of pupils linked to words or letters representing initial name or letters. Staff teamwork is excellent and it is difficult for the visitor to know who is teacher and who is teacher assistant, so smoothly the lesson proceeds.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

9. Activities are imaginative as well as varied, equipment and materials being used effectively to provide pupils with lively, stimulating and relevant learning opportunities. In an excellent science lesson for pupils in Years 3 and 4, very imaginative use of resources including sensory materials for lower attaining pupils, enables pupils of all abilities to participate in experiments to test the water resistance properties of different materials. Higher attaining pupils pour water over different types of cloth and say whether the water goes through. A lower attaining pupil uses sensory experiences to feel the differences between materials. The activities and the staff presentation of them challenges pupils’ thinking skills and stimulates their interest. As a result pupils’ response to the lesson is one of excitement and rapt attention. They make very good progress in their understanding. 10. A very good mathematics lesson for pupils in Years 10 and 11, ensures they achieve

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

very good progress through a relevant practical activity which helps to build pupils’ relationships with one another. Pupils operate a tuck shop to serve other pupils and staff. They help set up the stall and to price items. Higher attaining pupils take payments and give accurate change. Lower attaining pupils learn to mix and co- operate with pupils of all ages. They all enjoy participating and responses are very good. Woodfield School 13 11. Teachers make good use of information and communications technology, and their skills have greatly improved since the previous inspection. In an excellent literacy lesson in Years 3 and 4, interactive whiteboards are used effectively to stimulate pupils’ reading and speaking and listening skills by highlighting and spelling out key words in the story of the ‘Bear Hunt’. In a Post 16 personal social and health education lesson, students’ interest is sparked when they film for themselves, using

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

digital video cameras, examples of the danger of litter to animals. In both instances teachers’ skills help to build pupils self confidence with consequently good improvement in their responses and learning. 12. Staff are trained and skilled at using the TEACCH (Teaching and education of autistic and related communication handicapped children) approach for autistic pupils, together with other systems or approaches including PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) as well as symbols and schedules to assist pupils’ communication and attention skills. Classrooms are carefully organised so that these pupils have opportunities to learn alongside other pupils of their own age. There are also times when they work individually at their own work stations to limit distractions from others and this helps them to focus on their assigned tasks. This results in very good progress being made in social relationships. Another feature of teaching that is

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

particularly effective is the use of behaviour management strategies for pupils with challenging behaviour. As a result, autistic pupils make significant progress, particularly in their general attitude, awareness and acceptance of other pupils and adults. 13. In a very good English lesson for pupils in Year 8, the teachers have high expectations of pupil attitude and involvement. The high quality of preparation together with knowledge of pupils’ needs and use of a variety of teaching strategies, provides very good support to pupils’ learning. They listen well to a poem and then make one of their own using words they find in magazines. An autistic pupil’s behaviour is managed particularly well when he becomes distracted. The teacher’s expert intervention using specific language that the pupil understands and responds to, means that he returns to the task and makes good progress with his poem. 14. All staff use signing as appropriate and there is a very consistent approach to this

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

throughout the school and this helps to consolidate the learning for all pupils with communication difficulties and to support strong relationships. For example, in a good mathematics lesson for pupils in Years 1 to 3, the teacher uses signing well to phrase questions appropriately and make sure all pupils understand what they have to do. They respond well and make good progress.. 15. Teachers and teaching assistants work closely together to provide harmonious and efficient learning and welfare support to all pupils. Teachers delegate tasks well. Teaching assistants show good skills in tutoring individual or small groups of pupils. Teachers liaise and co-operate well with other professionals such as speech and language therapists, school nurse and physiotherapists in order to ensure that pupils have access to their services and expertise. These excellent qualities of teaching promote relationships with pupils and contribute to effective learning and progress.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

16. Teaching assistants are particularly effective in continuing the programmes recommended by these professionals. Several have, for example, undergone specific training from speech therapists in the use of communications systems to enable them to deliver the programmes to pupils independently. This increases the amount of time available to pupils for work on improving communication skills. Hence pupils with speech and language difficulties gain consistent support, relationships are strengthened and consequently pupils make very good progress in these areas. Woodfield School 14 17. Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties are taught very well using a range of augmentative and alternative systems, including information technology. They are helped to express their preferences and feelings through sensory and tactile experiences. Teachers set targets for their progress that are realistic and make sure

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

that they have the means to achieve them. They are involved in all lessons and activities equally with other pupils and gain a great deal from the social interactions around them. 18. A direct consequence of the high quality of teaching for pupils of all abilities, including autistic pupils, is that it builds trust and strong relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils are happy in their work, always eager to come to school and take pride in their achievements. They revel in the rewards that are given out by teachers, either at the end of lessons or during end of day assemblies, to mark their effort or progress. The show interest and pleasure in the achievements of other pupils. All pupils work very hard in lessons and many can concentrate for significant periods of time on a particular task. The fact that staff are so aware of each pupil’s individual needs and establish effective communication, helps pupils to reciprocate. This has a significant

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils develop excellent attitudes and relationships

impact on promoting the confidence and feelings of self worth of pupils and gives a great boost to their capacity for learning.

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

learning and overall personal development of all pupils.

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

19. Great attention has been given by senior staff to providing a curriculum that is relevant and practical to each individual pupil as well as meeting statutory requirements. The school’s philosophy of integrating all pupils into class bases so that they learn alongside pupils of a similar age is upheld rigorously and is significant in its success. Therefore, pupils with autism (including those with challenging behaviours), profound and multiple learning difficulties, sensory impairment and severe learning difficulties are all catered for in age based classes. 20. Many improvements have been made to the curriculum since the last inspection including new subject plans that ensure that pupils’ learning is incremental as they move from year to year. For example, a particular success has been the significant improvement made in information and communication technology (ICT). Planning for ICT has been revised. The resources of equipment, software and materials have

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

been increased dramatically. A computer suite has been established and an ICT development officer has been appointed. Pupils regularly use a range of ICT to support their work, particularly in communication skills. These range from simple switches to voice boxes and communicators to more sophisticated programs; for example, to support reading. Pupils use Email and the Internet and the school has a videoconference link with another similar special school. Pupils frequently use digital video and still cameras to support and record their work. All these resources and facilities, combined with increased teacher skills, have given pupils confidence and raised their achievements in ICT so that they are now very good. They have also made a significant contribution to the personal development of pupils. 21. Another curricular success for the school is the extent of integration activities that it has made available to pupils to learn alongside mainstream pupils. The school has a

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

very good inclusion and integration policy, together with a carefully formulated individual pupil timetables. Thus pupils’ individual learning needs are carefully catered for. Fifteen pupils (a quarter of the school) of various ages and abilities have regular placements in local primary schools for significant parts of each week. They take part in lessons including, art, technology, cookery and physical education. There are five Woodfield School 15 local primary schools involved and a local special school for moderate learning difficulties. For example, a twelve year old boy is making very good progress during weekly visits when he takes part in art lessons. He has been attending for nearly a year. Although initially very reluctant, he has overcome his anxieties, is gaining in confidence in his social interactions, participates well in lessons, and mixes with other pupils during playtimes. A realistic long term goal is for him to be able to follow a

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

GCSE course in Art. 22. In addition to such weekly placements there are regular links to other schools made by teachers for topic work or projects that involve occasional visits. For example, the whole of Year 6 is successfully involved in a rolling programme of visits to a local primary school to promote pupils’ social skills and independence. This is very good use of the local school community to enhance pupils’ experiences. 23. The schools links with the local community are excellent and help to extend the curriculum for every pupil. These links are greatly valued by the headteacher, staff and governors and make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning opportunities. They are very well co-ordinated by the deputy headteacher. Post16 students have successful weekly link courses at a number of local colleges of further education. They take part in a range of activities such as cookery and horticulture. In this way

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

they learn to work and improve their basic literacy, numeracy and many social skills in a different learning environment and alongside other students. 24. Students also have very good opportunities for work experience. A small number of students have placements in the local community with retailers for shop work or in garden centres for horticultural work. For those students not quite ready for work placements in the open community there are many good opportunities created within the school for work experience. Students work with the site manager, in the kitchens, school office or alongside teaching assistants in classrooms. For example, one student works most successfully one afternoon per week in the nursery class as a support assistant. She enjoys this work and says she likes helping younger children. Arrangements are made for students to have similar placements at local special schools, where appropriate. This extends students’ experiences beyond their own

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

school and gives very good support to their personal development. 25. The curriculum has been enhanced by the successful introduction of accreditation for 16 to 19 year olds using the ASDAN ( Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) courses Transitional Challenge and Towards Independence. This has helped to raise the standards of literacy, numeracy and social skills amongst students. 26. There is a very good curriculum for personal, social and health education. The timetable is carefully constructed to promote maximum opportunities for pupils’ personal development. Break times, lunch times and end of school day sessions all have a structured learning focus, aimed at promoting personal development.

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

There is very good measurement, recording and reporting of pupils’ achievement . 27. In the last two years the school has made very good progress in developing its system of assessing, recording and reporting pupils’ academic and social development. The school has a number of methods of assessment that it has used successfully for a number of years. Amongst these are individual education plans, annual reviews and reports. A new method of assessment and recording was instituted after the last inspection and applied across the school. Arising from this has been the introduction of the P-Levels to measure pupils’ achievements. The school successfully used the model from the London Institute Project and was Woodfield School 16 involved in the Hertfordshire Local Authority trial for the P-Levels. This gave good support and encouragement to staff to persevere in the introduction of this form of assessment instrument for all pupils aged four to 15. Teachers have been given

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

specific allocations of time within the school timetable in order to check and compare the progress of pupils with other classes. This has led to a more consistent approach and accuracy in measurement of P-Levels across the school. The individual results of pupils’ progress are currently being written into pupils’ end of year reports. This is an improvement on previous years. 28. Every pupil in this age range (four-15) is assessed in all subjects including personal and social education. The results are charted for class groups and individuals. Predictions are made for the end of Key Stage 2 and 3 cohorts (Years 6 and 9) as to how much their achievement will have increased over a one year period. Targets are agreed by the school and chair of governors and become part of the local authority’s data that it uses to meet the school’s statutory requirement for setting pupil attainment targets. Members of staff understand and make good use of the P-Level criteria. By

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There are a stimulating range of relevant activities and opportunities to promote the

the end of the Summer Term 2003, staff will have assessed pupils over a period of two years using the P-Levels. These are already showing that there is very good progress by pupils. 29. Pupils are also expected to recognise and comment on their own learning. Pupils are given many opportunities to discuss with staff what they have done during the day and to say whether they were successful or how they can improve. A school council operates successfully giving a number of pupils very good responsibility for representing their own views and those of other pupils.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

There are no major issues for the school to address.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The headteacher and governors when making their action plan should maintain the priorities for development identified in the school development plan in order to sustain and raise still further the high standards that are already present. They might in particular wish to consider the following minor issues:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Refining further the use of the P-Levels for the measurement of pupil achievement and comparing and evaluating year on year results to inform future targets for pupils’ progress.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Giving parents specific information about homework, how it applies to their child and how they can best help their child. Woodfield School 17

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 27

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage 11 39 50 0 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than three percentage points.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 60

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 13

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 7

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 2 Woodfield School 18 Attendance

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

School data 6 School data 0 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black or Black British – any other Black background

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Woodfield School 19 Teachers and classes Financial information

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.8 Financial year 2002/3

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Average class size 8 £ FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 1,274,050

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: all age Total expenditure 1,254,679

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 35 Expenditure per pupil 17,426

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 913 Balance brought forward from previous year 51,416

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance carried forward to next year 70,787

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 8

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 8

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Woodfield School 20 Results of the survey of parents and carers

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of responses in each category

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child is making good progress in school. 68 31 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Behaviour in the school is good. 68 27 0 3 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 58 0 3 20

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 79 20 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 93 7 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 93 7 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school works closely with parents. 93 7 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is well led and managed. 93 7 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 82 17 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 79 14 0 0 7

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